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RED MOON RISING COMES INTO PERFECT VIEW IN MAY:The Italian Melodic Rock band Perfect View will release their second album Red Moon Rising on May 23 through Avenue Of Allies. Almost four years have passed since the five-piece from Modena released their acclaimed debut album “Hold Your Dreams” in the fall of 2010 and the development of the band since then is nothing short of impressive. While the first record was a very good sounding and solid effort, it still tested the waters of a variety of Hard and Heavy genres, from AOR to Progressive Hard Rock. The songs “Red Moon Rising” are now very focused and it’s clear that Melodic Rock with a slightly harder edge is what the band does best. As expected the songs are again on a consistently high level regarding the song writing, the arrangements and the flawless performance of each band member.Perfect View was founded in 2008 by singer Max Ordine, guitar player Francesco Cataldo and drummer Luca Ferraresi. Their idea for the musical direction of the band was to combine elements of first class AOR and Melodic Rock in the vein of Toto, Winger and Journey with some harder moments а la Van Halen and Lynch Mob and to add an occasional progressive touch to the sound.The line-up for “Hold Your Dreams” was completed by Cristian Guerzoni on bass and Pier Mazzini on keyboards.

Prior to being a part of Perfect View the guys in the band have shown their musical talents on the stage, as well as in the studio when they were working with established artists and bands like Olaf Thorsen (Vision Divine, Labyrinth), Roberto Tiranti (Labyrinth), Alex DeRosso (Dokken, Dark Lord) and the very successful Kiss tribute band Electric Circus. Max and Francesco were also members of the band Xteria, a predecessor of Perfect View. Xteria recorded one album called “Outshine” in 2000 and they opened for the American Progressive Metal band Symphony X that same year.Since the release of their debut album the band shot a video for the title track of “Hold Your Dreams” and they also played a number of live shows, including an opening gig for Harem Scarem. In early 2012 Cristian left the band for personal reasons, he was replaced by Frank Paulis, an old road dog, who also took over various tasks on the band’s business side.

The work on the songs for “Red Moon Rising” was again a collective effort with contributions coming from each musician, in addition to their own compositions the guys added Toto’s epic “Home Of The Brave” to the album’s tracklist. The recording sessions started in May 2013, with the tracks eventually being engineered and mixed in November by Roberto Priori (Danger Zone, Wheels Of Fire, Los Angeles) at his PriStudios in Bologna, Italy, together with Pier Mazzini. Some of the band’s musical friends make guest appearances on the album,Michele Luppi (Secret Sphere, Los Angeles, ex-Vision Divine) sings background and harmony vocals on the Melodic Rock anthem “By My Side” and Giacomo Gigantelli (Danger Zone) contributed to the background vocals on “Slave To The Empire”.Perfect View have already scheduled some concerts and festival gigs for 2014 and the band will support the release of “Red Moon Rising” with special activities for the fans and of course with more live dates.

THE LATEST FROM ROCK CANDY:The following four new Rock Candy titles are all available now from www.rockcandyrecords.com for a discounted price including postage to anywhere in the world for the next two weeks ending on May 12.

Rick Springfield‘Working Class Dog’ CANDY227 / Of Australian origin, Rick Springfield’s early career saw him flirting with a number of styles, from pop to psychedelia and all points in between. Moving to the US in the early seventies Rick’s recording career slowly ground to a halt whilst, simultaneously, his acting career was growing in leaps and bounds, affording him am envious profile. It wasn’t long before record companies came knocking and by 1981 Rick had secured yet another contract, this time with RCA and released the album ‘Working Class Dog’, a triumph of melody and muscle. Recorded in his adopted home of Los Angeles, at the now famed Sound City studios, with a production combination of Rick Springfield, Bill Drescher and Fleetwood Mac producer, Keith Olsen, the album exploded out of the box to become one of the biggest selling records of the year, eventually achieving three million units. In addition, the single ‘Jessie’s Girl’ reached #1 on the charts, helping to define his clean cut pop rock style and providing a watershed mark for the rest of his career. Penning nine of the ten songs himself, it was left to fellow rocker Sammy Hagar to provide the second hit single taken from this record, ‘I’ve Done Everything For You’, a song originally written in 1977, but not recorded at that time. As near a perfect a pop rock album as you could wish for, ‘Working Class Dog’ set the standard for radio friendly rock for much of the eighties.Special Deluxe Collector’s Edition, fully remastered sound shaped from 24 BIT digital technology, 3 bonus tracks, contains ‘Jessie’s Girl’, and ‘I’ve done Everything Thing For You’, 16 page full colour booklet, 3,500 word essay, enhanced artwork and rare photos. Track Listing: 1. Love Is Alright Tonite 2. Jessie’s Girl 3. Hole In My Heart 4. Carry Me Away 5. I’ve Done Everything For You 6. The Light Of Love 7. Everybody’s Girl 8. Daddy’s Pearl 9. Red Hot & Blue Love 10. Inside Silvia Bonus Tracks: 11. Easy To Cry 12. Taxi Dancing (Original Version) 13. Jessie’s Girl (Demo Version).

Rick Springfield‘Rock Of Life’ CANDY228 / Rick Springfield’s previous studio album, ‘Tao’, went a good way to redefine his creative ambitions as he had previously, rather unjustly, been labelled as a glamorous pop rock idol with an acting profile that forever appeared to overshadow his musical career. At this point Springfield was at a crossroads in his life both professionally and personally, looking for answers to a multitude questions that had begun to increase in importance and complexity. ‘Rock Of Life’ was, in many ways, a continuance of the themes touched on with ‘Tao’. Songs such as ‘Honeymoon In Beirut’, ‘World’s Start Turning’, ‘Woman’ and the title track, are profoundly poignant, confessional and focus on specific personal issues. But whilst the lyrical content may be heavy, the musical support is anything but. Produced to pin-point accuracy by long time collaborator Keith Olsen, the music is seriously upbeat, dynamic and very cutting edge, in fact it’s is generally regarded as one of the best sounding albums of the era. Originally issued in 1988, ‘Rock Of Life’ may not have been a chart smash but it definitely helped to quash any thoughts that he may have been just a pretty face with little to say. Surrounded by some of the best session players of the time, including guitarists Tim Pierce and Dan Huff (Giant), the album stands out for a number of reasons as arguably his greatest achievement.Special Deluxe Collector’s Edition, fully remastered sound shaped from 24 BIT digital technology, 2 bonus tracks, 16 page full colour booklet, 3,500 word essay, enhanced artwork and rare photos. Track Listing: 1. Rock Of Life 2. Honeymoon In Beirut 3. World Start Turning 4. One Reason (To Believe) 5. Soul To Soul 6. Tear It All Down 7. Woman 8. Dream In Colour 9. Hold On To Your Dream 10. (If You Think You’re) Groovy Bonus Tracks 11. The Language Of Love 12. Rock Of Life (Extended Remix).

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Lynch Mob‘Wicked Sensation’ CANDY238 / It was hardly a surprise when George Lynch announced his departure from Dokken, the band he’d enjoyed enormous success with during the eighties. The fact that Don Dokken and George Lynch were at loggerheads for much of that time was no secret, so the split was, in many respects, inevitable. For George it was a chance to strike out on his own, assembling a handpicked unit that retained the services of fellow Dokken drummer Mick Brown with the addition of bassist Anthony Esposito and the then largely unknown, but super talented, vocalist Oni Logan. Dubbed, rather amusingly, Lynch Mob, the band were signed by Elektra Records who were hoping to benefit from Lynch’s platinum success with Dokken. Produced by Max Norman (Ozzy Osbourne, Y&T, Armored Saint) and recorded in Los Angeles, the music was a combustible mixture of blues based hard rock with a searing metallic edge, allowing George Lynch to fly off the handle with amazing guitar pyrotechnics at every available opportunity. It also showcased Oni Logan’s incredibly mature sounding voice to maximum effect. Think Coverdale, Ronnie James Dio and Tom Keiffer. Containing twelve tracks that have stood the test of time with flying colours, the music is full-tilt in your face rock, spearheaded by tracks such as ‘River Of Love’, ‘Sweet Sister Mercy’ and ‘She’s Evil But She’s Mine’. Best of all, it is the title track that really defines the band’s sound, a howling thunderclap of noise with a one in a million hook that takes no prisoners.Special Deluxe Collector’s Edition, fully remastered sound shaped from 24 BIT digital technology, produced by Max Norman (Ozzy Osbourne, Dokken), enhanced artwork and rare photos.Track Listing: 1. Wicked Sensation 2. River Of Love 3. Sweet Sister Mercy 4. All I Want 5. Hell Child 6. She’s Evil But She’s Mine 7. Dance Of The Dogs 8. Rain 9. No Bed Of Roses 10. Through These Eyes 11. For A Million Years 12. Street Fightin’ Man.

Georgia Satellites ‘S/T’ CANDY234 / When they first arrived on the scene, in 1986, The Georgia Satellites couldn’t have been more incongruous in the musical landscape. On one hand they were flanked by clean cut electro pop acts and on the other they were surrounded by legions of hair-metal reprobates. The Satellites, however, were not only digging deep into their regional southern roots but they were also taking inspiration from the rock and roll era. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the band worked up a sound that seemed part British blues boom and part southern rock, evoking comparisons to influences as diverse as Status Quo, the Rolling Stones, the Faces and Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was a raw, take no prisoners style, with an eye on the prize and a nod to the band’s musical heritage, which set them apart as a breath of fresh air in a scene short of genuine originality. Issued in 1986 on the Elektra label and produced by Jeff Glixman (Kansas, Gary Moore, Black Sabbath), the album is an explosive statement of intent with guitars cranked to the max and songs that sounds so relaxed they could’ve written themselves. Comprised of front man Dan Baird, guitarist Rick Richards, bassist Rick Price and drummer Mauro Magellan they smashed their way to #2 in the Billboard singles chart with ‘Keep Your Hands To Yourself’ and ‘Battle Ship Chains’. Look out too for a killer version of Rod Stewart’s classic ‘Every Picture Tells A Story’.Special Deluxe Collector’s Edition, fully remastered sound shaped from 24 BIT digital technology, Produced by Geoff Glixman (Kansas, Black Sabbath),16 page full colour booklet, 3,500 word essay, enhanced artwork and rare photos. Track Listing: 1. Keep Your Hands To Yourself 2. Railroad Steel 3. Battleship Chains 4. Red Light 5. The Myth Of Love 6. Can’t Stand The Pain 7. Golden Light 8. Over And Over 9. Nights Of Mystery 10. Every Picture Tells A Story Bonus Tracks 11. I’m Waiting For The Man 12. The Myth Of Love (Live) 13. Battleship Chains (Remix) 14. Hard Luck Boy 15. Red Light (Live) 16. No Money Down (Live) 17. Battleship Chains (Remix).

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THE BABYS READY TO DELIVER SOME OF THAT:By Gerry Gittelson ~ Melodicrock.com Los Angeles correspondent – The Babys are back with a new album, “I’ll Have Some of That”

Los Angeles — Legendary classic-rock band The Babys have a new album set for release in June entitled I’ll Have Some of That, and the group celebrated with a listening party for members of the press and the production team along with some friends and a few fans.There are 14 songs (12 for the USA release), a mix of blistering rockers like “Grass is Greener” and “These Days” and layered ballads like “See You There,” a totally infectious selection that figures to be the first single. Co-founders Tony Brock (drums) and Wally Stocker(guitar) remain, and the new members are singer John Bisaha and guitarist Joey Sykes.Brock handled production duties at his studio Silver Dreams, and the record sounds bright and slick while retaining a bluesy edge that mostly nods towards the band’s early recordings like their self-titled debut and “Broken Heart.” The band played a series of successful comeback shows this past summer in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and an international tour is planned for late summer. A side keyboardist and two female backup singers are part of the touring ensemble.

The Babys formed in 1976 and enjoyed a string of hit singles including “Isn’t It Time,” “Every Time I Think of You,” “Back on My Feet Again,” “Head First” and “Midnight Rendez-Vous.” Original singer John Waite has gone on to stardom as a solo artist and also as a member of supergroup Bad English, which featured fellow former Babys Jonathan Cain (now in Journey) and Ricky Phillips (now in Styx).For information, visit thebabysofficial.com.Photo: The Babys (left to right): John Bisaha, Tony Brock, Wally Stocker, Joey Sykes.

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R.I.P DAVID KNIGHT OF HOLY WATER:Fredric Villano of US rockers Holy Water delivered this sad news to me Saturday: “I’m sorry to report the recent passing of Holy Water singer David Knight. The details surrounding his death are still developing, but we do know he passed away on Monday April 21, 2014. David was a phenomenal singer and those who knew him and/or heard him sing will most definitely attest to this fact. “All I Need,” the video/single released by Holy Water in support of The Collected Sessions release (Perris, 2009), is quite possibly the last song David ever wrote/recorded/sang. You can check that out here: myspace.com/thisisholywater/video/all-i-need-/100593250.”

INTRODUCING BLACKWELDER:International power prog metal band Blackwelder signs record deal with Germany’s GoldenCore Records/ZYX Music. Blackwelder is currently recording, mixing and mastering the yet untitled album for a release later this year. Hailing from the four corners of the world, Blackwelder is a brand new metal experience featuring some of the top names in Power Prog Metal today. Arguably the best singer in all of metal, Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear, ex-Gamma Ray) fronts this extraordinary outfit at the top of his game, alongside guitar virtuosoAndrew Szus (Seven Seraphim), Bjorn Englen (Dio Disciples, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen) and Aquiles Priester (Hangar, ex-Angra) round out this unstoppable team of what quite possibly could be one of the greatest line-ups metal has ever seen.Blackwelder began as the long-awaited follow up to Seven Seraphim’s “Believe in Angels“. Bit by bit, as the songs materialized, it became evident to mainman Andrew Szucs that this music should carry the banner of a new musical entity, emerging from a richer, darker source – thus, Blackwelder was born. Andrew began this musical journey alone, however, once he completed the framework for all of the songs, the band members began to fall into place like pieces of a puzzle.Bjorn Englen was the first to climb aboard, expertly adding his bass lines to the songs. Bjorn would later go on tour with Tony MacAlpine alongside drummer Aquiles Priester, after which, it seemed only natural to keep this rhythm section intact for Blackwelder.Once Andrew’s guitars were recorded, it became evident that a true powerhouse vocalist was needed to carry these songs to completion. Not just any voice would do.Blackwelder would need the stratospheric vocal stylings characterized by the rich tradition of European heavy metal, and who better to do that than the voice of Primal Fear: Ralf Scheepers. Like a dragon with its fire, Ralf’s voice and lyrical themes are a natural fit to the songs of Blackwelder; blending and contrasting with the Marshall-based guitar tones in perfect harmony.Topping off this powerful line-up is the unparalleled drumming of Aquiles Priester. Andrew and Aquiles agreed to finish the songs with Aquiles’ unique pyrotechnic display of progressive metal drumming techniques and what a display it is.Blackwelder is a winning formula of raw musical virtuosity that holds the listener’s ears right from the start. This act is surely not one to be missed and cannot be denied!WebLink: www.facebook.com/BlackwelderMetal

EDGUY’S TOBIAS SAMMET INTERVIEWS WITH HARDROCK HAVEN:Edguy’s Tobias Sammet Interviews with Hardrock HavenHRH: Thanks for taking the time to talk with Hardrock Haven … and on to the neww album, Space Police: Defenders of the Crown. How did the band possibly come up with such a happy album? Aren’t you guys aware that humanity is destroying the earth’s climate, that the gibbering idiot American War Machine is drooling over the possibility of being able to go to war with white people this time, that these are the ‘End Times’ќ some people say? And you combat that with ‘Love t-t-t-tyger!’ќ (And is that a William Blake reference, as in, ‘tyger tyger burning bright’ќ)Tobias: It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, if you succeed or fail; the only thing that counts is whether you’ve got your sunglasses on. My world is going down with flying colors! And the other question is: How entertaining is it to go to a Metal show, have seven beers and listen to a nerd with a flannel shirt singing about Exxon Valdez? To each his own, but beware of the Love Tyger, he’s gonna get all of you! ‘Tyger Tyger burning bright’ќ? No, I just thought tigers looked more Metal than I, with a ‘Y’ќ as in Queensr-Y-che’s earl-Y albums, not as in Queensryche’s Tr-I-be. That’s it! Y is Metal! Just like Yron Mayden, MetallYca and The Yardbirds. Did you know that a lot of us musicians are illiterates? I am not as half as smart as some people may think, ha!To read the entire interview, head to: hardrockhaven.net/online/2014/04/interviw-with-tobias-sammet-of-edguy/.

Now online is the new in-depth interview with solo singer/songwriter and former Trans-Siberian Orchestra vocalist Peter Shaw. In it, Shaw discusses his time touring and performing with TSO, his views on the music business and his exciting new solo EP:musicandartinterviews.blogspot.com/2014/04/peter-shaw.html.

On this week’s Double Stop show Brian Sword talks to producer Keith Olsen. He covers his early days at Sound City, his role in the creation of Fleetwood Mac, and what it’s like to be in the studio with the Grateful Dead (he nailed the door shut to keep them in). He goes into detail on the making of Whitesnake’s 3 most classic albums (including Dan Huff), Ozzy’s “No Rest for the Wicked’ (Zakk was a riot) and Lynch Mob’s self-titled (Including Glenn Hughes’ involvement): thedoublestop.com/ep-12-keith-olsen-fleetwood-mac-the-grateful-dead-whitesnake-ozzy.

MAX NAVARRO TO START RECORDING NEW ALBUM:The Italian-Canadian rocker Max Navarro has confirmed that he’s going to finally begin work on new album, with a message left on his Facebook profile. Nine tracks that will be published in his fourth official still untitled album that will see the light in winter. A lot of changes in the line-up of the band after the departures of drummer Simone Morettin – who joined Elvenking – and bassist Jack Novell, replaced by Alex Parpinel and Danny Pollaci. Alongside Navarro have remained guitarist John Paul Bellucci and producer Nick Mayer.‘We have completed the pre-production in January, but we took a couple of months to settle some ideas – Navarro says – . This album will sound less harsh than the previous “Hard Times” , but surely it will be a great American-rock album. “Hard Times” was an angry record , this one will be somehow more detached; not that the world over the past two years has changed for the better; maybe it’s just me that look at it more peacefully’ќ.For recording sessions Navarro chose the Nico Odorico’s ‘Angel ‘s Wings Studios’ќ: ‘I’m happy to work with Nico again, there’s a great feeling between us. We worked together over the last two albums, but only for the mixing. Now I decided to give him the keys of the entire record. One more reason to expect great things’ќ.WebLinks: www.maxnavarro.com – www.cherrylipsrecords.com.

Pontus Snibb’s new blues based solo album ‘Wreck Of Blues’ is about to be released and the Bonafide frontman has posted a video for the single “More Blues And Blue Sounds”.

No one can ever say Pontus Snibb is laid back, if hes not bouncing about Europe heading up Bonafide or skin thumping with Jason & The Scorchers, we now see he’s managed to set aside time to write and record a new solo blues rock project aptly named ‘Wreck Of Blues’. And what a stunning album it is, with some old school blues ‘n’ swamp rock riffage combined with a very modern rock production and Pontus’s signature voice, this effort has bits of Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix and ZZ Top all through it,

Pontus Snibb’s take on it, “Well here it is, another chapter in my musical career, but something I’ve been meaning to lay down for some time now. I’ve been into the whole blues vibe since I was a kid and if I’m honest, it will probably be that sort of riff that will be getting played when I stop doing what I’m doing. When I finally got round to doing this, the tracks were the easy bit as I’ve had most of them in storage for sometime, but as you know, I never stop writing. The musicianship was essential and after doing over 2000 shows with Hakan Nyberg (aka DAD) I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d rather have as part of my rhythm section, he’s taken care of the skins and the low end rumble comes from my bass soulmate, Micke Nilsson. The end result is pleasing as it really represents the passion I have for this genre, but as the great Albert King used to say… Blues Power… can you dig it?”

The album will be released digitally and physically through Off Yer Rocka Records and there will be four special appearances to mark the launch, before Snibb heads out on the European Blues circuit to promote the album.

Meanhwile, Bonafide recently released a star-studded video fo their latest single “Rock ‘N’ Roll Skal”. Taken from the Swedish band’s latest album ‘Bombo’, released in September of 2013 via Off Yer Rocka, the video features guest appearances by Airbourne’s Joel O’Keeffe, The Georgia Satellites’ Dan Baird, The Scams, Thundermother, ’77, Ryan Roxie, Chips K, Fatal Smile, Grant Foster and many more.